Men’s Basketball Pulls Away From NEC, 94-68

NASHUA, N.H. — The Rivier men's basketball team secured its third consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory with a 94-68 win over New England Col. on Saturday afternoon at the Muldoon Center on Youth Sports Day.

With the win the Raiders improved to 10-4 (3-0 GNAC) while the Pilgrims dropped to 2-12 (0-4 GNAC).

Graduate Joey Merrill set the tone early, sinking three three-pointers to score nine of the Raiders' first 11 points and secure an 11-9 lead at the 14:35 mark in the first half. Junior Matt Constant and senior Odarius Cade followed suit with three-pointers of their own, extending the lead to 19-10 with 11 minutes left. First-year Matt Youngquist rallied off eight straight points, helping the Raiders stretch their advantage to 30-17 at the 7:04 mark. An 8-2 Raiders run, wrapped by a Youngquist layup, pushed their lead to 19 with just under four minutes left in the half. New England Col. managed to close the half on an 8-5 run, but Rivier maintained a 43-27 lead at the break.

The Pilgrims came out strong in the second half, opening with a 12-6 run to cut the deficit to 10 at the 15:15 mark. The Raiders countered with a 10-4 run that was capped by a layup from junior Robenson Baguidy, forcing a Pilgrims timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Rivier dominated with a 20-8 run, featuring baskets from five players, extending its lead to 79-51 with just over five minutes remaining. The Raiders cruised through the closing minutes to secure a comfortable 94-68 victory.

Constant led the Raiders with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting (53%), including 7-of-15 from three-point range (47%), while adding five assists and three steals. Youngquist set a career-high with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting (67%) and grabbed eight rebounds. Merrill stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Baguidy contributed 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (55%) to go along with seven assists and five rebounds.

The Raiders dominated from beyond the arc, outshooting the Pilgrims 18-1 on three-pointers. Rivier also tallied 25 assists compared to the Pilgrims' seven and held advantages in points off turnovers (16-8) and fast-break points (16-4). The team also forced 14 turnovers while only committing 10 of their own.

Riding their win streak, Rivier faces Norwich at home on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.